Cast & Fall (42 page)

“
Of
course, I trust you,” I said eagerly as I shut my eyes firmly.
Then, I felt a blind fold wrap around me. I smiled excitedly. Then, a
whirl of fog drifted me to unconsciousness and I lost track of time.
It could have been five minutes or maybe an hour, when everything
came back to me. I still had the blindfold. I felt him slowly unwound
his arms around me.

Slice
of
Heaven

“
Y
ou
can open your eyes now,” a soft angelic whisper said. He gently
ran his warm fingers across my cheek, as he took off my blindfold
that separated me from my new surrounding. My lids flapped open—hazy
at first, though I knew it was bright. Cool sunlight brushed my skin.

The
breeze was the first thing I noticed. It smelled clean and fresh like
a beautiful spring day. My eyes darted into focus, despite the bright
light that flooded my vision. I stopped to take a few choked breaths
before I could say…
absolutely
nothing.

There
where no words to express the deep elation I felt at that moment. I
was in awe; the breathtaking view was nothing I had ever seen
before—at least not in the way I was seeing it at that moment.

And
while I gasped in the brilliance of my new surrounding, my eyes swept
it briefly, taking in all its wonder, but I stopped at the most
breathtaking view; a being so devastatingly lovely, there was
literally nothing on earth like him—Tristan, casting the bright
sunlight behind him.

I
gulped—heat rose in my cheeks as I drown from all my emotions.

I
locked my eyes on him and held my amazement. A brief silent moment
passed before he came toward me and held my hand to show me the
spectacular vivid blue waters that stretched as far as my eyes could
see.

The
sky was perfect, not even a puff of cloud—not that anything
could ruin this perfect moment. I saw beauty like I have never seen
before. Although it was sunny, the temperature was around seventy
five degrees. A perfect weather to my standard—to most people’s
standard.

Down
below, waves slapped the chunky, spiky rocks. The large waves
splashed on its jagged edges—flirting forcefully. I heard the
swooshing echoes of the ocean and it gave me the most soothing
feeling.

As
much as I would love to pinch myself, making sure this wasn’t a
dream, that I’m actually in
Greece
…
I
didn’t want to risk waking up from this dream or reality,
whichever it may be. Most importantly, that I’m here with
Tristan. He could have taken me anywhere and it would not have
mattered. But being here with him is more than I can ask for.

I
stared at his all too-angelic face and I could see the deep emotions
behind the gesture. And in more ways, I was glad to see such genuine
appreciation from his expression—even if he was seeing it
through my eyes. I knew, he sees no wonder in all this. He’d
seen the world so many times before, and ages before…and like
he’d said once…nothing ever truly appealed to
him—nothing was magnificent in his eyes then.

Seeing
the Aegean Sea for the first time, I knew right away that we were in
Santorini
.
I had seen many photos and have thought of coming here one day. A
dream that I didn’t realize would be today.

“
So,
is this what being swept off my feet feels like?” My brightly
lit face couldn’t hide my excitement. I was still amazed of how
short of a time it took us to get here and
the
process of how we got here.

As
the initial shock began to wear off, I noticed ten feet from us,
stood a small round table housed by two chairs. A white linen table
cloth draped across and on top was a beautiful pot of orchids, a
linen napkin setting for two and two stemmed glasses with water. I
stared at it briefly. He gestured for me to sit. I followed his lead.

“
I
feel a little under dressed for a lunch date in Greece,” I
complained.

“
I
wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, you can never look bad in
anything you wear.”
“
Katheryna,”
his voice almost a whisper as he pulled my chair and gestured for me
to sit. He circled his way and sat across. Clasping his hands, he met
my eyes. There was a sudden change in his expression. He situated
himself as if he was about to tell me something serious. “You
know what I’m doing is selfish and what I want you to know is
that you have free will. I never want to control you, just say the
word.” There was a hidden sorrow behind his voice, but his tone
was firm. I couldn’t believe I was hearing these words. It
sounded foreign. I felt my emotions shifting. All of a sudden, I felt
a sickening feeling twisting in the pit of my stomach. “Please…”
I pleaded, “No more guilt…I want to be here…with
you.”

“
That’s
what I’m worried about…I’m manipulating you…you
cannot fully trust me,” I looked at him while pain began to
plunge in slowly, deep in my chest. His face was downcast. “I
wish what I am would cease to matter, but It can’t be
ignored…don’t ever let your guard down with me, after
all there was a reason why I fell,” his voice, too intense,
shattered the slice of my momentary heaven. It left me gasping
because It hurt to hear him say the words that I knew too well was
true. The warning was real. But even with reality staring me in the
face, my only thoughts were on his pain and mine.

I
felt two different worlds collide within me, like lightning and
thunder under the perfect blue sky. I didn’t know how both
could exist at the same time.

“
Stop
it, please,” I yelled.

“
I’m
sorry, the last thing I want to do is hurt you,” a trace of
anguish was on his face. He looked down, battling in his thoughts.

“
Well,
if it’s the last thing you want, then stop doing it,” I
growled.

“
There
will be no more talking about this. Just enjoy this moment with me,”
my eyes were pleading, my voice was desperate.

“
Okay,
if that’s what you want. I never want to make you unhappy.”
As much as it was hard for me to hear Tristan’s warning, it was
even harder to hear him struggle; the constant battle within him that
makes everything in me feel so weak.

His
expression changed, softer now. He smiled pleasantly. All traces of
worry seemed to have vanished in that instant, though, I knew it was
only for a little while. I didn’t pursue it. I knew we’d
have to deal with it later. Silence suddenly surrounded us, though
the waves crashed violently—it was almost a faint background.
Then, his eyes bored into me…into my soul, as if he knew me
well.

I
felt the facade of life fade within me. I felt like I could just
truly be myself, unguarded. But that’s not what he wants. He
wanted me to fear him—to turn him away. And I knew he could do
that. He would do that if that’s what I wanted. I
yanked
the dark thought quickly. It didn’t belong here. He held my
right hand. An electricity rippled through me when his warm hands
touched mine. My heart accelerated and danced inside my chest. He
seemed to have noticed my reaction. He curled his lips into a smile,
showing his dimples. His eyes much lighter than the ocean at
daylight, held my gaze for a brief second before the blush of heat
made his stare a little too uncomfortable. And when I looked up to
gaze at his face again, I was glad to see someone joining us, coming
from a distance, interrupting my tangled thoughts.

A
chubby man wearing a white, chef-like uniform came out. His dark,
clipped, short hair slightly swayed from the breeze. He brought one
silver domed plate and set it in front of me. He proceeded to take
the lid off. It looked absolutely appetizing—chicken pasta with
pesto cream sauce, a small portion of salad and bread sticks. “Thank
You,” I said politely. He acknowledged my appreciation with a
nod and quickly disappeared before I could even pick up my fork and
lay my napkin on my lap. “You eat, I’ll watch,” he
commanded.

“
You
know how many times, you’ve watched me eat…aren’t
you bored yet?”

“
I’m
simply never bored with you,” his eyes gleamed.

I
took my first bite and it was simply delicious. It was hard eating in
front of Tristan, I was very distracted by his mesmerizing glare—his
eyes, a gleaming glass of the Mediterranean sea—more brilliant
than the ocean behind us; his hair, swaying in the dancing movement
of the wind…and his constant skimming of my emotions were
simply hard to ignore.

When
I had managed to finally finish eating, he grabbed my hand and we
headed to the path going down a narrow hill. “I thought you
said walking was optional?” I asked curious, wondering what he
had meant by that statement before. Just then, he picked me up
without effort and started walking or rather sprinting faster than my
mind could process.

“
Put
me down!” I yelled. He stopped and slowly planted my feet on
the ground.
“
I
think I could walk!,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed that
he had meant to carry me like a child.

“
Well…I’m
just trying to make sure, you don’t pass out on me like the
last time we went on a walk,” he smirked.
Oh,
how can I forget; me and my embarrassing moments.

“
I
think I could manage this time,” I said, slightly feeling the
need to redeem myself from my past ridiculous reputation.

As
we walked across the enormous layered rocks toward the path of a long
stretched and winding road, we veered left, leading to a very busy
street that was lined by boutiques, shops and a motorcycle rental
shop. “Oh no,” I said almost immediately, after we
stopped in front of a bike shop and he gestured for us to go in.

“
Okay,
I promised I wasn’t going to force you to do anything you
didn’t want to do,” his voice was sincere. I stared at
him, still seeing the feeling of reservation so evident on his face.
I swallowed automatically, unwilling to give into the fear that crept
through me. I suddenly found the courage to—

“
You
know what…” my voice determined. He eyed me suspiciously
but said nothing, as he waited for my words.

“…
let’s
do it,” I said excitedly. I wanted to show him that I could be
brave—that I can decide to overcome my fears. That my past
wasn’t going to dictate my future. That I could trust him…and
that he could trust…himself.

Coming
in, I immediately felt intimidated by the huge selection they had
inside. I swallowed anxiously but hid my reservation away from him. A
man with a thick mustache eyed us blankly from behind the counter.

“
We’d
like to rent one of your motorcycles for the rest of the afternoon!”
Tristan asked—
In
Greek
.

The
man responded back.

“
You
speak, Greek?” I yelled. My voice more than surprised. I didn’t
realize this talent that should have been—so obvious.

“
Y…es…I
can speak any language.” He stated. His voice was flat.

“
But
most importantly, I can speak English,” he winked at me
then—his voice, smooth.

“
And
I love your English…well…American accent,” I said
teasingly.

“
You’re
the most talented anyone I have ever known.”

“
You’re
so human,” he chuckled, wagging his head. After getting the
keys, we headed back to the row of motorcycles.

“
Your
pick.” He gestured his hand as I raked my eyes from the line of
shiny and very sleek metals in front of me—all looking
beautiful and dangerously fast. I chose the closest one. I wasn’t
going to be picky.

“
This
will do,” I said softly, trying to hide the sound of hesitation
in my voice.

“
Are
you sure you want to do this?” His voice was weary.

“
Yes…I’m
good,” I said, gulping the last word as if once said, I can
never take back.

“
Don’t
worry, I drive safe.” He flashed a grin this time. I wasn’t
completely convinced but I wasn’t about to back out. He faced
me, held my shoulders and sighed as he slowly tucked a clump of my
hair behind my ear. He continued to sweep the tendrils behind. I felt
so loved at that moment. His hands ever so softly caressed my hair,
stroking the strands as if I was the most precious thing in the world
to him. He touched my cheeks then—his touch, feeling warm on
the surface, like a crawling web of heat rippling across my skin.